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Action Pathways' Mobile Food Pantry and its Heroes

Thursday, October 19th, several Action Pathways employees were recognized at a luncheon held at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church. Hosted by the Cumberland Disaster Recovery Coalition (CDRC), the event titled, The Heart of Matthew, honored the unsung heroes within our community that went above and beyond the call of duty to help those left reeling from the destruction and devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew. With a vast network of local organizations dedicated not only to their mission’s work but as well as disaster recovery efforts in Cumberland County, many of our community’s leaders were in attendance to witness these heroes be recognized for what they did at the height of the storm and its wake.

Community members were asked to nominate individuals that showed heroism before, during and after the storm’s devastation; twenty-eight nominations were received. Action Pathways employees from Second Harvest Food Bank were selected for their work which included distributing hundreds of gallons of water, food and other essential items to communities where folks were without transportation and no way of accessing food or other necessities. The Mobile Food Pantry team (Julia Morales, Drew Daniels and Darryl Monroe) said that they were only doing their jobs as first-responders in times of crisis and had no idea that anyone would recognize them for it.

“It was just about getting food [and water] out to these individuals and their families,” said Julia Morales, Program Coordinator for Action Pathways Second Harvest Food Bank. “When they saw us, they were excited; it was hope for them. [People] didn’t know how they were going to make it from one moment to the next after Hurricane Matthew hit.”

The luncheon was a way for the coalition, its entire network, and the community at large to thank folks like Julia, Drew and Daniel for the decisive actions that helped so many people at the height of the storm. It was also a chance for the Cumberland Disaster Recovery Coalition to highlight its efforts in helping individuals and families achieve long-term recovery. It takes years for a community to recover, but thanks to coalitions like the CDRC and Hope4NC (a collaboration between the CDRC, Action Pathways and Behavioral Alliance Healthcare), people will have the resources they need to get back to a sense of normalcy and hope for a brighter tomorrow.